Continuous furring for metal lath



March 5, 1935. EJR. BOYLE CONTINUOUS FURRIfiG FOR METAL LATH Original Filed March 2, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENT OR ,ZiZQj/Ze ATTORNEY March 5, 1935. Q E, R. BOYLE CONTINUOUS FURRING FOR METAL LATH Original Filed March 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 OOO IN VENT OR I A TTORNE Patented Mar. 5, 1935 UNITED" STATES CONTINUOUS 'FURRING FOR METAL LATH Eldridge Roger Boyle, Washington, D. 0.

Application March 2, 1931,, Serial No. 519,618 Renewed July 31, 1934 I 4 Claims. (01. 72-118) The invention to which this specification applies is of improvements in devices commonly called furring elements and used extensivelyto support a sheetof ,metal lath and plaster in 5 spaced relation opposite the wall or partition of a building. Properregar-d for good-construction principles, demands that the interior finish such as lath and plaster shall beheld at a definite distance from the wall itself. While it has been suggested that metal lath may. be applied directly to a wall by means of offset fastening portions this does not provide the airspace which is so essential. If the metal lath itself is provided with offset or depressed detachment means in contact with the; wall, there is not enough space left after the plaster keys lock with the lath to allow-any free circulation of air'or :the running of conduits. v

It is most important therefore to provide a definite air space between the lath carrying the plaster :and the wall itself. This iS-GOlllIl'lOHlYflC-f complished by'the use of solid strips of wood or metal which are attached to the wall and serve in turn to hold the lath at; a definitedistance; from there with intervening air spaces. How-, ever, any continuous strip necessarily breaks up the air space into definite parallel channels vertically .or horizontally. It is the ,common experience that when lath and plaster are thus supportedthe support is firm-over the furring strips but inflexible and any expansion or contraction produces a stress along the strips where cracks will necessarily result. The surface of the wall will also indicate those portions rigidly attached to the continuous strips and thus produce surface irregularities.

Furring strips if in continuous contact with the lath and plaster "not only limit the expansive adjustment of the plaster but also serve to permit moisture from the wall to creep along the strips into contact with the plaster and discolor it. 7 The labor of building construction has been specialized to such an extent that the provision of a furring strip cannot be considered as part of the brick laying operation or thesetting of tile but is strictly incidental to'the plastering. It follows that a furring operation can most economically be carried out at the time when the lathing occurs and independently of the construction of thewall itself.

It is an object of my invention to meet theabovesituation by the provision of a continuous furring strip which maybe quickly and economically formed from rust resistant sheet metal. The strip is also intended to be applied to the wall by the lather after the mortar has set.

It is a further object of my invention to produce a continuous furring strip which will provide a line of attaching means for the lath rigidly supported from the wall free from the possibility of drainage from the wall to the lath and plaster. I v Y Among the objects of my invention is the provision of a lath support evenly distributed over the area of an expanded metal mesh lath so that expansion and contraction is possible to a considerableiextent in all directions.

It is also to be noted that the use of my. lath permits a free circulation of I air in the space between the wall and the plastered lath in both vertical'and horizontal directions.

My: improved lath is attached with a minimum of nailing and in any desired direction so that it may be, used as a support for a; narrow extended area ormay also be used above win dows and around the edge of the floor to receive nailing pieces as the construction may require.

Forpurposes of illustration I have shown the preferred form of my invention in the accompanying drawings in which v Fig. 1.'is a perspective-view ofmy improved furring strips applied to a brick wall; a

Fig. 2 is aside elevationof the same; I

Fig.;3;is a frontview of one of the strips; fFig. i is a side elevation of the modified form;

Fig. 5' is a fragmentary front view of the same; b v

Fig.. 6 aside elevation of the form first described as applied to atile wall;

Fig.- 7 is a side elevation of a modified form;

Fig. 8 is a frontelevation of this form;

Fig. 9 is a. cross section on the line 9--9 of Fig. 7 and p 7 Fig. 10 is a developed View of the strips in process of 'manufacture.

In the drawings I have shown a brick wall 11 of ordinary construction laid up in mortar 12. The improved furringstrip generally marked 13 consists of a stri-pof fiat sheet metal preferably of rust and corrosion resistant metal which has been bent to .form a plurality of furring brackets or supports 14. The main portion 15 of the strip is bent upwardly to slightly less than a right angle to form the upper portion 16 of the bracket 14. The metal is also bent downwardly beyond 16 to form a front 1'7 and subsequently bent back parallelwith 16 to form the bottom portion 18 of the bracket.

The bottomportion terminates in the section 15 coincidental with the normal plane of the metal strip. The brackets 14 are spaced uniforrnly along the length of the strip 13 and in.

the form shown in Fig. 2 are equal in number to the. opposite bricks 11. of the strip are punched .in convenient places to provide nail-holes 19 by which the nails 20 may be driven into the mortar between the bricks.

It is to be understood that the spacing of the brackets 14, 14 and their height above the por- PATENT.IpFFlCE The portions 15, 15-

tions 15, 15 is a matter of design which may be varied to suit the particular needs of the construction.

The front faces 17 of the brackets 14 are struck up to provide tongues 21 which may be used for fastening the metal lath 22.

In Fig. 1 I have indicated how two parallel strips 13, 13 have been mounted in spaced relation vertically on the wall to bring the brackets 14 and the fastening tongues 21 uniformly distributed over the area to be covered by the sheet metal lath. In this way the'weight of the lathv is uniformly distributed at a large number of points and spaced from the wall by the slightly resilient bends of the bracket. The upper inclination of the portions 16 and 18 prevent any drainage toward the plaster surface. The nails 20 are distributed over the portions 15 so that one nail serves two or more adjacent brackets.

Such a furring strip may be of any convenient length and joined in overlapping or contiguous relation to other like strips. I'have indicated in the lower part of Fig. 1 how two such strips may overlap and the lower one may be as short or as long as the area demands.

I have also indicated how such a strip 13 may be extended horizontally over the wall being nailed to a horizontal mortar course. Inthis position the brackets 14 may be used to support lath by means of the tongue 21 or the latter may be flattened and building members attached by means of nails through the holes 23 in the faces 17 of the brackets As indicated the brackets may be of suitable form to receive and hold in vertical arrangement nailing blocks 24 or similar supports.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrateda curved form of furring strip 25 the depressions of which are held by nails 20 to the mortar 12 between the bricks 11. The elevations 26 of the curved strips are punched out to provide tongues 27 to which the lath 22 is attached. This form provides the same facility of uniform distribution of support over the area and admits of easy application just prior to the operation of lathing.

The furring strips'13 may of course be applied to other supports than brickand in Fig. 6 I have shown a wall composed of hollow tile 28 to the mortar of which the strip 13 may be attached. I have also shown in this figure how a nail 29 having an expanded point 30 maybe held within the groove 31 on the'face of the tile.

In Fig. 7 a slightly-modified form of furring strip has been shown as consisting in a flat back portion 82 also made of sheet metal. This lies fiat against the surface of the wall 33 and is attached thereto by means of suitable nails 20. The side edge of the'strip 32 has an angular extension 34 extending perpendicular to the plane of the strip 32.

This extension 34 inclines upwardlyas indicated in Fig. 7 and terminates in a nailing tongue 35 while a lateral abutment 36 is bent from the extension 34 into a plane parallel with the back 32. Such a construction is readily punched out of sheet metal in the form developed in Fig. 10. The metal is appropriately punched with nail holes 19 and the projections34 have the tongues 35 cut away from the abutments 36. This form lends itself to uses where it is desired to have a flat strip following the surface of the wall and supporting uniformly distributed lathing brackets.

The continuous strips above described are economically and quickly manufactured in large quantities and can be readily transported. Their use is not dependent upon any other building operations such as brick laying but they are applied to the wall in the spacing and proportions indicated as most desirable and may extend for as long or short distances as required and in any desired direction. No special skill is required in mounting these and they provide supports to which the expanded metal lath may be applied in the quickest and easiest way.

The application of the plaster to the lath so supported provides a wall covering over which expansion and contraction occurs uniformly throughout the area so that there is no tendency toward localizing stress and consequent cracking.

The contact between the lath and the brackets is of such limited area'as not to produce any surface marking. The area betweenthe Wall and the keyed lath is entirely open to circulation in alldirections and permits the unobstructed convenience of running piping and conduits.

While I have illustrated the preferred form of my invention I desire that the same shall be considered as capable of construction in various forms and arrangements within the scope of the following claims. 1 v

' WhatI claim is: w

1. A continuous sheet metal furring strip having a back portion for attachment to a vertical wall, and being of sufficient width'to resist being bent laterally away from the wall, bracket members formed of spaced parallel sections bent outwardly and upwardly from the back portion, an abutment connecting the forward ends of the sections and integral lath engaging means carried by said abutment.

2. A continuous sheet metal furring strip having a back portion for attachment to a vertical wall, and being of sufiicient width to resist being bent laterally away from the wall, bracket members formed of pairs of parallel sections bent outwardly and upwardly from the back portion, an abutment connecting the forward endsof each pair of sections and integral lath engaging tongues carried by each abutment.

3. A continuous sheet metal furring strip having a back portion of sufilcient width to resist being bent laterally away from the surface to which it is attached, and being formed by two spacedmembers in the same plane, parallel sections bent outwardly and upwardly'from the proximate ends of the spaced members, an abutment connecting the outer ends of the sections and parallel to the back portion and lath engag ing means on said abutment. 7 I

4. A continuous sheet metal furring strip hav-' ing a back portion for attachment to a wall and in extended contact therewith, said strip being of sufficient width to resist being bent laterally away from the wall, integral bracket members having parallel spaced portions extending outwardly from the said back portion, a flat front portion connecting the ends of said spaced portions and an integral lath-engaging means carried on said front portion.

ELDRIDGE R. BOYLE. 

